ABSTRACT

The profusion of computer packages for GIS and for digital mapping now mean that maps of some sort can often be created in minutes by anybody capable of operating the program. Assuming that the package contains the relevant digital map data, then the drafting process is highly automated in the sense that the program will plot out the locations of selected map features, at a selected scale, and with whatever symbols the user has chosen. As was pointed out in Part 1 of this book, computer graphics technology enables map data to be plotted faster and with greater precision than is possible using manual methods. Map projections can easily be changed, schemes for symbolisation of data can be modified very rapidly and, once very demanding, visualisations of 3D data can be created with ease.